Dansm's Sea Kayaking Trips

Why do I want to tell people about my favorite kayaking spots? I told you in my biographical section that I like paddling in secluded areas, so won't I just attract more people and ruin the spots for myself and everyone else who considers these places their "secret"? I and many other paddlers have wrestled with this dilemma for years as we debate whether to share our knowledge and risk losing the charm. Alex Wilson includes a section in his Quiet Water books addressing this exact question. I wholeheartedly agree with his conclusion, which I paraphrase and add to below:

First off, I don't feel that other paddlers ruin the seclusion of an area. Seclusion, as defined by me, is freedom from development, powerboats, and other signs of "progress." Paddlers, to me, are not signs of progress; instead, they are folks who want to get back to nature, and experience what one can't find in an urban area: freedom. As long as we are responsible, low-impact paddlers, there will be no adverse effects of large numbers of kayakers descending on a given area. This vision, however, requires work on our part: First, if you bring something in, bring it back out. Don't leave trash behind, and clean up trash of those less considerate. Second, be considerate of wild habitats: be careful when paddling that you don't destroy shores and the bottom, and certainly be careful when hiking not to disturb the ecosystem. Third, don't disturb others. Loud noises prevent seclusion. I didn't drive two hours to hear someone yell to their buddy across the lake that he just saw an eagle. Also on that note, one of the most enjoyable aspects of paddling secluded areas is the potential to see wildlife, and others cannot see wildlife if you scare it away. This point is especially important if you plan to bring children along--if they can't be quiet, please take them somewhere where they will not disturb others. Eventually, they will learn to appreciate the outdoors for what it is, and then they can be trusted in the secluded spots. For information on Leave-No-Trace Outdoor Ethics, a set of guidelines for low-impact recreation, see www.lnt.org.

Secondly, as paddling becomes more popular and more people try to find said secluded paddling spots, we will (and perhaps already have) become a powerful political force for the conservation of our wild lands. If we don't have people to support wilderness areas, we will lose them forever. If we can give more paddlers a taste of true seclusion, once they get that scent in their nostrils they will always want it back. These are the people we need if we are going to save and protect our environment: people like you and me. The most vocal groups using our lakes and streams today are fishermen and powerboaters, and while I feel fishermen tend to have some of the same desire for seclusion as kayakers, powerboaters and jet-skiers do not. Someone else must speak out to save natural areas, and that "someone" needs to be paddlers. If nothing else, locales may begin to realize that paddlers are an economic advantage, and will therefore protect wild areas for the sake of attracting paddlesporting tourism. However, hopefully we can convince these local governments to save the land for the land's sake. Voice your support. Tell your local governments that you don't want new housing developments or shopping malls. Tell your state governments that we need to preserve land, whether that takes the form of state parks or wilderness areas. Join organizations like the Maine Island Trail Association and the Sierra Club which fight to preserve our natural areas. It is up to us to save them. We only have so much left.

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since 8-13-00